Faust Wines The Pact Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Pretty color of dark ruby with a nice reddish rim.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity.

Showing black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, bell pepper, tobacco leaf, earth, dark coffee, chocolates, peppercorn, herbs and black tea.

This 4 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking nicely, but still very young. Showing lots of vegetable and earth notes, which I did not expect.

Needs at least 5 years in the bottle to mature properly, and still a little unbalanced. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

This Single Vineyard is complex, with a soft mouthfeel. Has good potential to become a 95+ point wine.

I had the 2015 a couple of years ago, and loved it.

Needed a few hours to open up properly, so be patient.

Robert Parker 93 points. Wine Spectator 93 points.

A good wine to pair with lamb dishes.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$125.

Advertisement

Faust Wines The Pact Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Napa Valley, California

Pretty color of dark ruby with a nice reddish rim.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity.

Showing black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, bell pepper, tobacco leaf, earth, dark coffee, chocolates, peppercorn, herbs and black tea.

This 4 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking nicely, but still very young. Showing lots of vegetable and earth notes, which I did not expect.

Needs at least 5 years in the bottle to mature properly, and still a little unbalanced.

I had the 2015 a couple of years ago, and loved it.

This Single Vineyard is complex, with a soft mouthfeel. Has good potential to become a 95+ point wine.

Needed a few hours to open up properly, so be patient.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Robert Parker 93 points. Wine Spectator 93 points.

A good wine to pair with lamb dishes.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$125.

Selene Wines Chester Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2016, California

This is a delicious Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley.

Fruit forward with nice complexity and a strong nose.

Showing black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, chocolates, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and leather.

Dry and fruity on the palate with medium acidity and long legs.

Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

Feels like a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon right out of the bottle. Only after a couple of hours, it brings out more earth and vegetable notes.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Spicy and entertaining.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$40.

Schrader Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with a pretty nose.

Showing black fruits with cedar, light vanilla, leather, spices, earth, cola, chocolates, tobacco, coffee, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Fruit forward, rich and extracted. Spicy and interesting.

A great wine from a great vintage, and a great Vineyard. What a combination. Tasty and tangy. Just Delicious.

Robert Parker 98 points.

Needed 3 hours to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Aged in 100% new oak barrels for 20 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$400.

Blackbird Vineyards Blackmail Napa Valley Merlot 2016, California

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Deep Inky in color with a very short purple rim. Not showing age at all.

Strong fruity nose with blackberries, black plums, black currants, light cedar, figs, stewed cherries, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco leaf, herbs, chocolates and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, peppercorn, earth, herbs, spices, pencil lead, licorice and diet cola.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a great Napa Merlot with a touch of right bank Bordeaux. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Elegant and fruity. Spicy and interesting. Rich and tangy.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

Good by itself as a sipping wine. Delicious stuff.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$100.

Perus Wine Company Alessio 2019, Napa Valley, California

Dark Inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, blueberries, light cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, eucalyptus, Mediterranean spices, chocolates, mocha, cola and black pepper.

Full-bodied, bold, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, cola, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light earth, coffee, peppercorn and light mint.

Long long finish with fine grained tannins and chocolates.

This is a fabulous Bordeaux blend from Napa valley. Rich and extracted yet graceful.

Nicely balanced with lots of black fruits and chocolate notes.

Drinking beautifully now as a 4-year-old, but still so very young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years and beyond.

Showing a soft and opulent mouthfeel. Spicy and buttery.

Good right out of the bottle, but much better once it opens up. Started opening up after 2 hours in the decanter, but kept on changing from there.

Another gorgeous wine from Russell Bevan. A great wine to have all by itself. No food needed.

A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. A small production of only 8 barrels made.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$300.

The Vice Wines Stag’s Leap District Super Tuscan 2020, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep purple in color, almost Inky, with a short reddish/ purplish rim.

Strong nose of dark fruits.

Full-bodied, bold and elegant, with medium acidity.

Dry and fruity on the palate with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Showing blackberries, cooked cherries, figs, cedar, licorice, vanilla, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Stag’s Leap District. Easy drinking, bold and beautiful.

Fruit forward, rich and extracted. Tangy and interesting, with lots of coffee and chocolates notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.

This 3 year old is still very young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

A good wine to have with good friends all by itself, but good with food too.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec and 25% Sangiovese. Aged for 22 months in new French Oak barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. A small production of only 1,700 bottles made.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$130.

Castello di Amorosa Napa Valley Sangiovese 2019, California

Dark ruby in color with light intensity and a wide reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel.

Showing blueberries, cherries, raspberries, spices, light oak, licorice, dark chocolates, light tobacco and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a tasty and interesting Sangiovese from Napa valley.

Nicely balanced and tangy. Feels like a California Merlot.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour in the decanter. Good by itself and with food.

In had the 2018 not too long ago, and liked it better. Would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years.

A blend of 92% Sangiovese and 8% Merlot. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$39.

Barra of Mendocino Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, California

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim, and a strong fruity nose.

Full bodied and bold with medium plus acidity.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with mild complexity.

Showing blackberries, plums, raspberries, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, mocha and cola.

Tangy finish with medium tannins and raspberries.

This is a young Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendocino County, but already good by itself as a sipping wine.

Nicely balanced, rich and extracted. Tangy and interesting.

Needs an hour to open up, so be patient.

Showing lots of black fruits with chocolate notes right out of the bottle, and once it opens up, more red fruits come in to play. Tasty.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 3 years.

Organic Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were handpicked and aged in (30% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$28.

Brecon Estate Grenache 2020, Paso Robles, California

Light ruby/ reddish in color with light intensity.

Spicy and fruity nose of blueberries, cherries, raspberries, milk chocolates, light tobacco, spices and black pepper.

Light to medium in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with raspberries, sweet cherries, light oak, vanilla, citrus, spices, chocolates and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and raspberries.

This is a very tasty Grenache from Paso Robles. Spicy and entertaining. Fruit forward and Interesting.

Nicely balanced and easy drinking with nice complexity.

Good right out of the bottle, and gets spicier after 2 hours of airtime.

Feels like a Zinfandel blend with a Pinot Noir touch.

While some people may assume that screw-top wines are of lower quality, this is definitely not the case with this wine. It also makes it easy to take with, making it an excellent choice for a picnic.

Still young, but already very enjoyable. Tasty and good by itself. A good quality wine. Would be nice to revisit it in 3 years.

A great sipping wine. If you like something lighter, and Pinot Noir is not your favorite taste profile, then this is a great choice.

Paired nicely with light appetizers.

A blend of 93% Grenache, 2% Petite Sirah, 2% Mourvedre, 2% Syrah and 1% Viognier. A small production of less than 2,800 bottles.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55.